Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017 (Halifax, NS) – Please be advised that the municipal overnight winter parking ban will continue to be enforced from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, to allow crews to continue with snow clearing and removal from streets and sidewalks.

Winter Operations crews are working around the clock to clear streets and sidewalks, following two weather events this week that have brought close to 80 cm of snow accumulation to the Halifax region. Crews shifted to street and sidewalk clearing operations overnight and this morning to address the 15 to 20 cm of fresh snow received during a 12-hour period. Please note that due to the exceptional weather event earlier this week which resulted in over 50 cm of snow accumulation, Winter Operations service time lines will not be met.

Once plowing operations are completed today, full resources will shift back to snow removal on sidewalks that haven’t been yet been serviced, and ongoing efforts to widen and remove snow from streets that have been significantly narrowed by snowbanks. It is expected that it will take an additional 10 to 12 days before sidewalks can be fully accessible in all areas, with a priority on those near schools, transit routes and commercial districts. Snow removal at bus stops will also continue tonight; progress has been slowed by snow volumes and ongoing street and sidewalk clearing operations.

It is very important that vehicles and any potential obstructions to snow clearing are removed from streets and sidewalk areas during winter operations clean-up to allow crews to properly clear snow and maintain vehicular and pedestrian travel ways.

Vehicles must be off municipal streets during the hours noted above. Residents are also reminded that in addition to the overnight parking ban, Section 139 of the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act states that tickets can be issued and vehicles can be towed any time, day or night, if they are parked in a manner that interferes with snow clearing.

To help ensure the streets are properly cleared, the municipality has enhanced its winter parking enforcement in areas around hospitals and schools, bus routes and problem streets for snow equipment and emergency vehicles.

Officers will also be ticketing vehicles obstructing sidewalk clearing. Vehicles hanging out of a driveway or parked on the sidewalk are prone to damage and become a dangerous obstacle for crews. Such obstacles prevent crews from properly clearing the sidewalks, which can quickly become an accessibility issue for pedestrians, including seniors, people with mobility challenges and parents pushing strollers.

Planters, lawn decorations and any other moveable objects near the sidewalk should be removed before the winter season. Items such as sports equipment, green bins and garbage should be safely stored when bad weather is in the forecast. Any permanent structures or objects too big to move should be marked with a reflector to assist crews with identifying potential obstacles.

The overnight winter parking ban is in effect from now until Mar. 31, 2017. The easiest way to stay informed is to sign up for automated notifications at www.halifax.ca/snow/parkingban/notifications.php, call 311 or email contact@halifax.ca. Subscribers will receive timely alerts by phone, email, and/or text message when the ban is in effect and again when it is lifted. Residents who received these notifications last winter will continue to receive the service this year. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Think before you park this winter – it will help make the season a little easier on everyone. For more information on municipal winter operations, please visit www.halifax.ca/snow.

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